Top 13 NHL Draft Busts since 2010

These junior hockey players never lived up to the hype.

Nichushkin’s NHL career hasn’t exactly panned out as he’d hoped since he was taken 10th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. As a rookie in 2013-14, Nichushkin posted decent numbers (14 G, 20 A). A hip injury kept him sidelined for most of the next season. Then, in 2015-16, his 29 points through 79 games was a a disappointing dropoff.

Prior to free agency, Dallas approached Nichushkin with a qualifying offer that the young skater didn’t sign, and remained a restricted free agent. When the opportunity to play in his home country came up, the 21 year old signed the deal, joining the KHL’s CSKA Moscow team.

The KHL club hasn’t been all that impressed with his play, which reportedly has the team considering releasing him. Dallas still holds the rights to Nichushkin, and had hoped he would benefit from his time in Russia. But right now, things don’t look great for the former first-rounder.